The Snell Foundation updates its helmet safety standards every five years to keep pace with the increasing demands of motorsports. Each new standard raises the performance benchmark, driving helmet manufacturers to innovate and improve protection. This continuous evolution ensures that drivers benefit from the latest advancements in safety technology. The current standard, Snell SA2020, remains widely accepted across race series, and all three helmet brands under Holley Performance – RaceQuip, Simpson, and Stilo – produce helmets that exceed its requirements.

Snell updated its regulations to Snell SA2025 on October 1, 2025, marking the start of a new certification cycle. Helmets are typically accepted for competition use for up to 10 years from their certification date, so many racing organizations will begin phasing out SA2015-certified helmets for the 2026 season. Moving forward, only helmets bearing SA2020 or SA2025 certification labels will be allowed in most U.S. racing series, making now a critical time for drivers to plan their next helmet upgrade.

How are RaceQuip, Simpson, and Stilo responding to SA2025?

To meet the more rigorous demands of the upcoming Snell SA2025 standard, helmet manufacturers are investing heavily in advanced materials, improved impact management systems, and refined ergonomic design. Many are incorporating multi-density EPS liners to better manage both high- and low-speed impacts across a wider range of crash scenarios, including oblique impacts. These liners are engineered to absorb rotational forces more effectively, helping reduce the risk of concussion and brain shear injuries.

Manufacturers are also experimenting with new shell materials—such as forged carbon and advanced composites—that offer improved energy dispersion without increasing weight. Ventilation systems are being redesigned to maintain airflow while preserving structural integrity, and fire-resistant interior materials are being upgraded to meet stricter post-impact temperature limits. Additionally, emergency release systems for cheek pads and modular shell shapes are being fine-tuned to allow safer, easier helmet removal, minimizing movement of the neck and spine in the event of an accident. Altogether, these innovations reflect a shift toward holistic protection that prioritizes not only impact absorption, but also injury mitigation and post-crash safety.

RaceQuip

For RaceQuip, many existing designs – including the renamed PRO25 – will meet the new mark and will be sold SA2025-certified from October 1.

“RaceQuip products have always exceeded the Snell certification rating and we’re happy to once again exceed the high bar Snell has set in 2025 with some tweaks to an already great product line,” shares Soucie. “We believe RaceQuip has offered the best in value since 1975, and the PRO25 continues that legacy.”

Simpson

Simpson will introduce all-new helmets to SA2025 as part of its biggest new-product rollout in many years. These will incorporate some of the high-end, high-performance features normally only available on Stilo designs.

Launched in 2024 year, Simpson’s Devil Ray will not only be recertified for Snell SA2025, but have its shell lightened in both the composite and carbon versions. “It’s a competitive helmet that serves many different needs,” says Kevin Albino, senior product manager for Simpson Safety. “This is more than an entry-level helmet. It also has available top- and side air vents, can have communications integrated, and can be specified with helmet skirts for use in a dirt environment.”

Simpson’s most technologically advanced helmet, the SD1 will be refreshed and recertified, but also given a new name. The shells will continue to be Italian made, with helmet assembly in Texas, enabling a high degree of customization for different applications.

But perhaps the biggest news concerns the iconic Bandit, which has long been Simpson’s number-one-selling race helmet. Reveals Albino, “It’s a special year for the Bandit because it’s going to be completely redesigned. It will have an all-new structure, the latest technology, and will be certified for SA2025, but it will still be very recognizably a Bandit helmet.” The reborn, high-performing, thoroughly modern Bandit will also be made in Italy instead of Asia.

The final step in Simpson’s 2025 range renewal will be a replacement for another distinctive design, the Diamondback – or “The Stig’s helmet”, as Albino reminds us. “Simpson’s helmets are known for their distinctive esthetic and our direction going forward is that we will only make helmets that look cool,” he promises. In line with this mantra, the Diamondback’s lighter, thoroughly updated, SA2025-certified replacement – Texas-assembled with an Italian-made shell – will adopt an aggressive, fighter-jet style, and serve as Simpson’s top-level helmet.

Stilo

Stilo has prepared for October 1 by recertifying its range of advanced, ST6 helmets for open-wheel and closed-cockpit racing. Adds Folkestad, “A new Snell cycle allows us to look at the latest advancements in materials, construction techniques, and impact testing, and ensure we exceed those standards.

“It’s a great time for us to have conversations with sanctioning bodies too, to talk about these new standards. We can do a lot of education with the AMR Safety Team, for example, for IndyCar and NASCAR, or have conversations with the NHRA and SCCA about updates to the helmets, and how those could affect the driver in a positive way.”

For more information on helmets from Holley Performance Brands, click here.